The present invention relates to felling trees. More particularly, the present invention relates to felling trees in a safe and efficient manner by controlling the direction in which the tree falls.
When felling trees, it is a constant problem to determine the direction in which the tree will fall. The problem is especially severe when the tree is leaning in an undesirable direction; e.g., in the direction of a nearby house. When the tree is not leaning in any direction, there is still the problem of preventing the tree from falling on the person or persons who is/are felling the tree. The present invention provides a device and a method for causing the tree to fall in a desired direction.
Attempts have been made to solve these problems, but they have not been successful.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,184,462 to Jessup discloses a tree-felling device adapted to engage a tree being cut down, and to exert a force thereagainst in a particular direction, in order to cause the tree to fall in a selected area. The tree-felling device includes a jacking device of the basic bumper type which is adapted to support an elongated pusher having a tree-engaging head secured at one end thereof, and which is preferably tied to the tree to be cut. As a part of the jacking device, there is provided a ratchet mechanism having an anchoring stud secured thereto for generally receiving and stabilizing one end of said pusher, while the jacking assembly is provided with a support clip about the top portion thereof for holding the pusher.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,564,173 to Atherton et al. discloses an apparatus for pushing a tree over when the tree is being cut down. When a base connected to a bumper jack is placed on a ground surface, the apparatus is tipped at an angle between the ground surface and the tree. A jack handle operates a mechanism to rise along a jack post, causing a support member to push a shaft through an aperture in a guide member until points on a tip member contact the tree, pushing the tree over when the tree is being cut down.
The principal defects of these prior-art inventions are the following:
(a) A bumper jack is not capable of handling the weight of a large tree.
(b) A bumperjack cannot extend its length to a jack post if a longer jack is needed to push the tree over.
(c) The bumper-jack post would bear the entire weight of the tree. If the post should break, the tree could very possibly fall on the person or persons felling the tree, or fall in some other undesirable direction.
(d) If the jack should fail or break under the load, the jack could not be repaired or changed out during the tree-felling operation.
(e) In the case of the Jessup patent, the head plate (36) which engages the tree is not embedded in the wood of the tree. If the tree turns or twists, the head plate will move, slip, or become disconnected from the tree.
(f) Neither device could be used to fell dead or rotten trees, because neither head is designed to engage dead or rotten wood.
(g) In the case of the Jessup patent, there is nothing to hold the head plate (36) up while the tree-felling device is placed in position to fell the tree.
(h) In the case of the Jessup patent, once the tree is lying on the ground, it would be difficult to disconnect and remove the chain (38) from the tree trunk.
(i) In the case of the Jessup patent, there is nothing to prevent the pusher (34) from sliding off the head plate (36) when pressure is applied by the jack.
(j) In the case of the Jessup patent, in the event that the tree twists or turns, there is nothing to hold the pusher (34) against the head plate (36).
(k) The bumper jack lifts the load with a ratcheting action that allows for a rocking motion of the tree. This can cause the wood in the hinge point to break.
(I) Bumper jacks have a large number of moving parts, and have springs which may weaken and break.
(m) Under load, the support plate for the jack would flip or rise up in front, causing the plate to skid or to be pushed backwards.
(n) There is nothing to prevent the jack support plate from being pushed into the ground or away from the tree.
(o) Neither tree-felling device is usable on hard surfaces.
(p) The tree-felling devices could not be used on banks or inclines.
(q) There is no effective way of transporting the tree-felling devices to the job site.
The present invention provides an effective solution to these problems.
In general, the present invention in a first aspect provides a tree-pusher for safely felling trees. The tree-pusher comprises (a) a base, (b) a frame mounted on the base, (c) a detachable head which engages the tree, and (d) a screw-type propeller trailer jack for urging the frame and the pronged head against the tree.
The frame comprises first, second, third, and fourth rectangular tubes. The first tube is pivotally connected to the base. The second tube is disposed in the first tube. The third tube is constructed and arranged to slide over the second tube. The fourth tube is constructed and arranged to be inserted in and pinned to the third tube.
The head is constructed and arranged to be disposed in the fourth tube, to attach itself to a trunk of a tree, and to detach itself from the frame and remain attached to the trunk as the tree falls.
The jack, which is attached to the frame, is extendable, capable of bearing the weight of a large tree, and capable of being repaired or changed out under load during a tree-felling operation.
In a second aspect the invention provides a method for felling a tree. The method comprises (a) providing a tree-pusher having a base, a frame, a detachable head which engages the tree trunk, and a screw-type propeller trailer jack for urging the frame and the head against the trunk of the tree; (b) securely connecting the base of the tree-pusher to the trunk of the tree; (c) attaching the head and frame of the tree-pusher to one side of the tree trunk; (d) cutting a notch in the trunk of the tree above the point of attachment of the tree pusher and on the side opposite the attachment of the head and frame thereto; and (e) using the jack to urge the head and frame of the tree-pusher against the tree trunk to fell the tree, and detach the head from the frame of the tree pusher as the tree falls.